


A Respite Well Earned

by Antiloquist



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Beach Episode, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Putting on sunscreen, Slice of Life, flirtation, gratuitous focus on hands, oh no he’s hot, vacation fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25640491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antiloquist/pseuds/Antiloquist
Summary: Tataru decides the Scions need a vacation and whisks then away to none other than Thanalan’s Forgotten Spring. The Warrior of Light sees Urianger’s face for the first time and comes to the most obvious conclusion: oh no, he’s hot.
Relationships: Urianger Augurelt/Warrior of Light
Comments: 7
Kudos: 68
Collections: Summer Fic Exchange 2020





	A Respite Well Earned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [koosei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/koosei/gifts).



> This is for my dearest most darlingest friend Koosei, without whom my longer Hildibrand/WoL fic wouldn’t exist.
> 
> This takes place during an unspecified time during the post-ARR patches, so Minfilia 1.0 and Papalymo are still around and Lyse is Yda.
> 
> Remember when the Warrior of Light still had seretonin? Me neither.

Papalymo was the first to break the silence. “And _why_ , pray tell, have you summoned us all here, Tataru?” Objectively, he was the best person for this particular job, as he was the only one present whose stature matched the other Scion’s, and therefore was the only one who could look her in the eye without kneeling or stooping.

Unfazed, Tataru broke out into a grin. “Because it’s time we all had a vacation!” She gestured to the wide open area around her with glee. “I’ve been plotting and planning and setting aside the funds for _weeks!”_

“Hmm…” Yda looked around in a faux dramatic fashion. “Not that I don’t appreciate all you’ve done, but… why _here_?”

‘Here’ referred to the Forgotten Springs, a cozy little Miqo’te village nestled at one end of the Sagolii desert. The scenery was beautiful, but… was this really a first choice place for a vacation? When one thought of a ‘vacation getaway’, the first place that came to mind was-

Tataru frowned. “Until recently we didn’t exactly have ‘Costa del Sol’ coffers…” It was as if she could read minds.

“I hope you haven’t been taking any of those bribes…” Minfilia warned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Tataru exclaimed with a shake of her head. “Well, maybe a little dreaming… b-but just dreams, I promise!”

Thancred cleared his throat. “I think this is the perfect place for us to unwind! Being from Thanalan myself, I’ve visited this place plenty of times. Lovely scenery, lovely ladies…”

Yda reached over and flicked Thancred on the arm. “Don’t you start now! I am not getting kicked out after spending all this time getting here!” She pouted.

“I didn’t say anything!” Thancred retorted, putting his hands up defensively.

The two of them started to squabble, which led to Papalymo trying to intervene. Chuckling, you turned your attention off them and over to the rest of the Scions. Tataru was rummaging in a crate that she’d brought with her, and Minfilia and Y’shtola were watching her. Urianger was off to the side, stoic as ever.

(It was a wonder Tataru had even convinced him to show up.)

Tataru closed the crate and hopped on top of it, waving her arms. “Attention please!” she exclaimed. Everyone stopped and turned to her.

“Let’s give a round of applause to our dear friend, without whom none of this could have happened because we’d probably all be dead!”

Oh no. Your suspicions were confirmed when she immediately gestured to you. Yda jumped and cheered while Y’shtola clapped politely. No one else did much of anything. You could feel a flush creeping up your neck.

“I didn’t do it alone…” you replied. “You guys gave me the strength to keep on going. Especially you, Tataru!” You pointed back and everyone in your little circle reacted this time in varying degrees. Tataru blushed and waved an arm in front of herself.

Payback was sweet.

“R-regardless of whom to thank, I brought us all here to have a good time. Look at the waterfalls! They’re gorgeous, and the water is so _clear_!”

Y’shtola tapped her chin in thought. “That it is… but, since you didn’t tell us why we had to meet here… I fear none of us brought swimsuits.”

Tataru almost seemed to expect this, as her response was to break out in a mischievous grin. “Not to worry!” She hopped off the crate and began to toss brightly covered scraps of fabric at everyone. “Remember when I cornered all of you for your measurements? I’ve been practicing my weaving!

You caught yours swiftly. It was a tasteful two piece bikini set in your favorite color, and you had to admit you really liked Tataru’s craftsmanship; it seemed she’d found her calling after all.

“Everyone get changed and meet back here in ten minutes! And I do mean _everyone_ ,” she said, leveling a pointed look Urianger’s way.

Urianger bowed politely. “Rest assured that I have no intent to spoil thy plans, Lady Tataru. ‘Tis clear to mine eye that thou hast toiled effortlessly for this to come to fruition.”

Tataru squinted at Urianger with suspicion for a moment before deciding his answer was sufficient. “Go! Go! I’ll see you all back here!” She made a shooing motion at all of you.

Laughing softly at your dear friend’s antics, you went to get changed and returned a few moments later to see that you were one of the last. Everyone stood around Tataru in their own swimsuits of varying levels of modesty.

(Thancred, of course, sported the least.)

The only person you had been faster than, apparently, was Urianger. If he took as long to change as he did to get to his point, then this made sense. You couldn’t help a sort of tingling curiosity, however…

And speak of the voidsent.

“Urianger, you can come out. I promise I would never let you look bad!” Tataru exclaimed, glancing behind a wall where you presumed your verbose comrade was sequestered.

“Very well, then. I trust thy judgement.”

He then stepped out, and if it hadn’t been for the voice, you would have sworn that this wasn’t Urianger at all.

Piercing yellow eyes swept around the crowd as Urianger took in the sights of everyone else. You’d known his hair to be silvery, but now you saw it framed his face in such a way that his elegant cheekbones were emphasized. In addition, he was far more muscular than you’d expected, and you felt your gaze wandering down his surprisingly broad shoulders and the defined muscles of his arm.

Urianger’s eyes found you, and lingered on you for a split second longer than everyone else. This was apparently more than enough to make your stomach do a flip.

Oh no, he was attractive.

You had always found yourself fascinated by Urianger, even from the very moment you joined the Scions. Maybe it was the allure of the unknown, but there was something enchanting about the man. There had been countless times at the Waking Sands you’d stay up well into the evening discussing this and that with Urianger, and you always tried to tell yourself it wasn’t because you liked the sound of his voice.

Oh, you were in trouble.

Somehow, he’d gone all these moons without letting you see his face. He always remained hidden under his cowl and multiple pairs of goggles and the longer he went the more your curiosity had grown.

Now you had your answer, and it was well worth the wait. 

Yda gave a low whistle. You noticed she was still wearing her mask even with a swimsuit. “Would you look at that? You do have a face after all, Urianger!” The irony of that statement was not lost on you. She then turned to Papalymo. “You owe me 100 gil.”

“I never agreed to that bet, Yda!”

The two, expectedly, began to argue. You were switching between looking at Urianger and watching them squabble when a voice from behind you made you jump.

“If you commission a portrait, it’ll last longer.”

You swallowed a yelp as you looked to see Thancred standing behind you. The smirk on his face and pitifully small swimsuit bottoms in a deep black were the only things he wore. After taking a cursory glance downward out of sheer curiosity your eyes shot back to his face and remained there.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you answered coolly.

Thancred chuckled, shite-eating grin on his face only broadening. “Sure. Just as you didn’t have your eyes glued to our friend Urianger over there.”

You glanced back over to the man in question but it seemed you and Thancred were out of earshot, and Urianger was too busy intervening between Yda and Papalymo to notice anyway.

(Had there really been bets going around regarding Urianger’s face?)

“I’ve never seen his face before. Of course I might look a little overlong.”

“Doesn’t explain why you always hang off him like a wolf pup back at the Sands. Though I’ll admit, I’m impressed you’ve managed to stay awake through his lessons on aetherology.”

Crossing your arms, you turned to face Thancred fully and leveled him with a glare. “What are you getting at here?”

Thancred shrugged. “I’ll admit, I previously had no idea what on earth you saw in musty old Urianger, but now… I think I understand a little better.” Thancred seemed to be eyeing Urianger a little himself, a fact that intrigued you.

“And here I thought you were a serial womanizer,” you teased, raising a brow at Thancred.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he replied with a hearty laugh. “Anyroad, I for one support this endeavor. It’s about time Urianger learned to lighten up a little, and you might be the exact kind of fun he needs.” Thancred winked at you.

You began to sputter. “Wh-what is that supposed to-“

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” He was already about ten or so paces away, heading toward a pack of U tribe hunters that had just come in with a fresh kill. They were, of course, all ladies.

Rolling your eyes, you steeled your courage and took a step over to where Urianger was gazing out to the waterfalls just outside the village.

Your heart thumped in your chest as you approached, and you chastised yourself. This was just the same Urianger you’d known this entire time, you thought. Just because he’d finally revealed himself to be stupidly beautiful didn’t mean you suddenly had to act like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

A quick glance around told you that everyone else had dispersed to do other things. In the village proper, it was just you and Urianger.

“So…” you began. “Never thought I’d see you without the cowl.” Mentally you slapped yourself; that was about as smooth as a sabotender.

Urianger gave a one-note chuckle. “I feel I must inquire… art thou among the masses who apparently made monetary wagers on mine appearance?”

You shook your head. “I’ll admit I was always curious, but… well, your business is your business,” you said, trying to sound like you always did when you talked to him.

“Never hath I considered physical appearance to be of import when it comes to the judgment of one’s character.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, yeah.”

Urianger then cleared his throat awkwardly. “In tandem, walking around with visage uncovered oft attracted… unwanted attention.”

You weren’t surprised. “What, you mean like flirting? That, uh, definitely makes sense.”

“Er… not quite what I meant. A handspan of years ago, I was a wanted man,” he said, and you could see the hint of a blush creep into his cheeks at your indirect compliment. “B-but not as thou may imply. As a doomsayer speaking words against the Garleans in the waning days of the Sixth Astral Era, the decision to hide my appearance was the most logical course of action.”

Oh. You’d never heard this before. Actually… you’d never heard about a lot of things about what the Scions did before the Calamity. Some of them (Yda, the twins) surely must have been too young to really be active before recently.

“You should tell me more about that sometime,” you said. “Sounds like quite the story.”

Urianger nodded. “As thou art one of the only ones I have known to be inclined to listen to me more than a few scant moments, ‘tis a story I would be glad to tell upon our return to the Waking Sands.”

You smiled at him, hoping you didn’t look too overly eager. To be honest, half the time you couldn’t make heads or tails of the things he spoke at length about, but damn if he didn’t sound nice when he talked.

“Looks like everyone’s already off to have a good time.” You looked around to find everyone else already engrossed in some activity or another. Thancred was chatting up some of the ladies of the U tribe with dubious success. You chuckled as you watched him shoot and miss; he couldn’t win every time.

Yda had climbed up on top of a large rock, and Papalymo was shouting all the reasons why just jumping off for fun would be a horrible idea up at her. Sometimes you wondered if the girl had any sense of self-preservation. Maybe that was why the Twelveswood had two protectors instead of just one.

Tataru, Y’shtola, and Minfilia had found a pool of water that was both heated by the sun and free of monsters, and seemed to be engaged in ‘girl talk’ of some sort. Perhaps you’d join them later.

“Looks like it’s just us, huh?” you said, truly the epitome of suave.

Urianger looked around to see the same things you did before nodding. “It appears our companions have left us.” He looked at you curiously. “Art thou feeling alright? Thy face… didst thou mistakenly forgo a sun protection tincture before departing?”

Oh good, an excuse. “Oh, I knew I was forgetting something! Think Tataru packed any in that big crate of hers?”

“It is certainly worth taking a look. I would rather not have our dear Warrior of Light taken from us so soon by something as preventable as heatstroke.”

The term of endearment made your stomach flip again, though logically you knew he meant dear in the general sense, as a hero is dear to a populace.

(Still, a gal could hope…)

To your good fortune, Tataru had indeed brought a bottle of tincture, which lay on top of what looked to be a pile of towels.

You took the bottle, uncorked it and took a sniff. “Yeah, that’s sun tincture,” you said between coughs and gags. “Did you remember yours?”

Urianger’s eyes widened just a fraction. “Ah, it seems thou hast reminded me of something that I too had forgotten. An honest overlooking. I shall coat myself after thou hast finished.”

An idea came to you. It was a silly idea, and you figured there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Thanalan it would work, but… “Could you help me, Urianger? I don’t think I can get my back by myself…” You batted your eyelashes at him in what you hoped was an appealing way.

“Ah, certainly,” he said, holding out a hand for the bottle. You hoped that blush forming on his cheeks was a good thing. As you gave the bottle to him, you marveled at just how _nice_ his hands were. They were spellcasters’ hands, callused along the fingers from many hours spent turning pages. The calluses, however, did not detract from his long and elegant fingers, or the largeness of his palms. You wondered what it would be like to hold his hands in yours and-

A sudden cold feeling on your shoulders made you squeak. In your fervent admiration of Urianger’s hands, you hadn’t noticed he’d taken the bottle and applied a liberal amount to his palms.

“Mine apologies,” he said, drawing his hands back. “I should have spoken before placing my hands upon thee.”

You shook your head. “You’re fine. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so _cold_.”

Another chuckle escaped from Urianger. “The Warrior of Light, brought low by naught but a mere change in temperature. Perish the thought.” Though you couldn’t see Urianger from where he stood behind you, you had a feeling he had a playful smile on his face.

That was one thing a lot of people missed about Urianger; he actually had a damn good sense of humor. It was merely perhaps a bit dry for most people’s taste.

Urianger brought his other hand down on your other shoulder and began to work the concoction into your skin. Everywhere his hands went, gooseflesh bristled in response. You supposed it shouldn’t be surprising that an arcanist was good with his hands, but the feeling of this specific arcanist putting his hands all over you was enough to make you a little dizzy.

Not only were his hands big, they were warm and _strong_ as well. You bit your lip to prevent any untoward noises from escaping your mouth as Urianger continued. He made quick work of your back and shoulders and it took you a solid few seconds to realize he was done, so focused were you on the sensation.

Still not looking at Urianger for fear he thought your affliction worse rather than better, you took the bottle from him and put the concoction on all the places you could reach, making sure to pay special attention to your face. The last time you’d been to Thanalan, you’d forgotten to get your face and had paid dearly for it the next few days.

When you were satisfied with the amount of alchemical protection your skin now possessed, you gave the bottle to Urianger once more, who proceeded to put some on his own face. For someone who spent all his time indoors under multiple layers of clothing, he was… actually not as pale as you expected.

He paused after he was finished. “Hmm… perhaps I could use thine assistance as well, if thou art amenable to the prospect.”

You blinked in confusion before realizing what he meant. “Oh! You mean for _your_ back! Sure thing!”

(It wasn’t like you wanted to feel his surprise muscles for yourself or anything...)

“You have my thanks,” he said, handing the bottle back to you and turning so that you had the perfect view of his toned back muscles.

The heat in your face returned full force as you dabbed some of the tincture into your hands and began to rub it into Urianger’s skin. His muscles were indeed as solid as they looked, and you wondered what his biceps felt like…

“What’s your workout routine like?” you blurted out before you could stop yourself. You would have slapped a hand over your mouth if it weren’t for the fact that they were currently slathered in foul-tasting sun tincture.

“Ah, thou wouldst not be the first to be surprised by this. Fret not, for I take it as a compliment.” You could hear the damn smirk in his voice; was he catching on to how you felt? You weren’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, however.

You coughed awkwardly. “I, uh, I meant it as one.”

“Many often forget the sheer weight that many tomes together comprise. Moving multiple volumes of history and other reading to multiple places over time can be quite strenuous indeed.” At least he’d had the mercy not to comment upon your flustered response.

Wait, so he was so strong from carrying _books_ around all the time? You supposed it made sense. From your forays into arcamina, you’d built up quite a bit of arm strength from holding the proper spell stances.

“I suppose this explains thy lingering gaze, does it not?”

You nearly dropped the bottle of tincture. “Ah, you saw…”

“It was difficult to overlook, so brazen were thy looks. It is to be expected, as this is after all the first time thou hast gazed upon my face.”

Was he… flirting? You weren’t sure. You quickly finished up his back and handed him the bottle before he could notice that your hands were shaking.

“My thanks,” he said, nodding at you as he finished what he himself could reach. He glanced back and saw your face thoroughly flushed. “Ah, perhaps my judgement on thine ailment was misguided.”

Oh, he was definitely flirting. To counteract how this made you felt, you sharply turned and pointed to the waterfall that Yda and Papalymo weren’t arguing near. “Hey, that looks like a good spot!” 

He let the subject go. “It does indeed. Shall we partake of the refreshing spring?”

You nodded, wanting to distance yourself from the tincture and this awkward situation. 

To your surprise, Urianger voiced a desire to stay among the shallow area of the pool. You had half a mind to ask him if he was just as bad a swimmer as Alphinaud, but you held your tongue.

“From what Thancred has told me, it is surprisingly quiet around here today. No hide nor hair of a monster in sight,” Urianger commented as he dipped a toe in the water. Satisfied with the temperature, he waded in to ankle height.

“They don’t like when it’s too hot. Right now they’d be in the shade. They’ll come out when the sun goes down, though,” you said. “We should be safe from the undead here, though. They don’t like the water.”

Urianger nodded. “‘Tis only logical, as heat combined with moisture would only hasten decay.”

You laughed. “The ones around here are more concerned with the state of their clothing.”

“Truly? How didst thou come to learn this?”

He sounded intrigued, rather than doubtful.

Memories of a recent adventure spent outside of the company of the Scions came back to you. “It’s… kind of a long and weird story. I’ll tell you later if you tell me about being wanted by the Imperials.”

“It seems we hath come upon an agreement.”

You grinned, knowing you were in for a good story.

(No guarantee Urianger would believe yours, however.)

Stepping into the water behind Urianger, you were relieved that it was indeed a wonderful temperature for the surrounding environment, and you couldn’t help but want to quickly submerge yourself.

… You should have been keeping a closer eye on your feet, though. This was a fact that you learned only too late as you slipped on a rock around knee-length depth in the water. In your panic, you grabbed onto Urianger for support and wound up dragging him down with you with a splash.

Mercifully, the water was shallow enough that you were in no danger from this event. The only things wounded were your side and your pride.

As your vision stabilized, you realized Urianger was perched suggestively above you, no doubt an entirely accidental result of the tumble you’d just taken. The water had soaked his hair, pressing it down closer to his face. You dazedly watched a drop trickle down his face to his neck and collarbone.

“-ou alright?” Oh. He was speaking.

You blinked confusedly. “Huh?”

“I asked ‘art thou alright?’”

“Uh…” You were still preoccupied with how damn good he looked while soaking wet, especially this close.

Urianger sighed. “I did not see thee hit thy head…” His eyes roved your body, and it made you feel some kind of way before he realized he was merely looking you over for injuries. “Ah.”

You followed his gaze down to see that the fall had given you a decent sized gash on your side. Now that you could see it, it started to hurt.

Urianger reached forward and hovered a hand over your injured side. You were confused at what he was doing until you felt the sharp stings of healing magic washing over your wound. That was right, arcanists were healers.

When he withdrew his hand, only a small scar remained as evidence that you had taken a tumble.

“There, I do believe that fixes that.”

“T-thank you,” you said, avoiding his gaze as the soft look in his amber eyes made your heart jump around in your throat.

Urianger smiled, and that flustered you even worse. “Not to worry. ‘Tis the least I can do for a valued comrade… and a treasured friend.” He stood and offered you a hand up, which you took.

You saw your shot as you returned to your full height. Before you lost the courage, you surged up and kissed him on the cheek as thanks.

“Let’s go check out the waterfall!” you exclaimed, darting off before you could check Urianger’s reaction. “Last one there has to drag Thancred out of the alehouse tonight!”

If you’d lingered but a moment, you’d have seen the brilliant blush that had overtaken Urianger’s face, as well as the stunned silence he held while he placed a hand to where had you had kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This was fun to write because I love Urianger but also wow this nerd and his weird talk I’m gonna shove him in a locker and take his lunch money.
> 
> Check out our FFXIV fanfiction community, the [book club](https://discord.gg/hPbnJzu)! We have these sorts of exchanges all the time and it’s a bunch of fun.


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